The government adverts urging illegal immigrants to go home was piloted in six London boroughs, attracting criticism from Liberal Democrat ministers, Labour and Ukip. Photograph: Home Office/PA

A billboard campaign, telling illegal immigrants to "Go home or face arrest" will not be repeated, the home secretary has said. Theresa May has apparently decided the controversial pilot scheme – where two advertising vans were driven around displaying the slogan and advertising a helpline advice to illegal migrants who want to leave the UK – was not effective.

The campaign was piloted in six London boroughs, featuring leaflets and posters with the message: "In the UK illegally? Go home or face arrest." The posters proved highly divisive, with Liberal Democrat ministers calling for it to be scrapped. Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, accused the Conservatives of using the "language of the National Front". The scheme also attracted criticism from the UK Independence party.

Sources close to the home secretary told the Daily Mail the idea had not been successful – resulting in the voluntary repatriation of just one person.

The campaign had been robustly defended by Conservative immigration minister Mark Harper. Last week, he told the BBC's Question Time that the campaign might be rolled out across the country: "I don't see any problem with saying to people who have no right to be in the UK… they can't be here any more," he said.